As the world combats the effects of Covid-19 what passed for normal has been scrapped, putting undue pressure on Canadian Olympians preparing for an uncertain future. They have met with mixed fortunes.

Top Canadian athletes confirmed they are ready for the IAAF World Championships London 2017 as they produced notable performances over four days at the national championships in Ottawa’s Terry Fox Athletic Facility 6-9 July.

Melissa Bishop is among the world’s top 800m runners. Here the Canadian, who last year claimed World Championship silver and Pan American Games gold in her speciality event, thinks long and hard about our First Impressions questions.

Fresh from breaking the world indoor 1000m record in Stockholm three days ago, Ayanleh Souleiman was targeting a 3:33 performance over 1500m at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix, the fourth and final IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting of 2016, but the world indoor champion over the distance had to concede defeat to the perennially underrated Moroccan Abdalaati Iguider on Saturday (20).

During a breakthrough year, Canadian 800m runner Melissa Bishop grabbed the Pan American title, the national record and a world silver medal. We ask the rising middle-distance talent about some of the best and greatest elements to her life.

It is hard to fathom that earlier this year Melissa Bishop was reduced to tears on multiple occasions after a series of injuries and incidents conspired to derail her racing season.

Kenya’s defending champion Euince Sum ended up having to settle for the bronze medal on this occasion after a tense and enthralling three-way battle down to home straight as Marina Arzamasova returned the world 800m title to Europe on Saturday.

Jeffrey Henderson produced a world-leading 8.52m in the long jump while Melissa Bishop and Andre de Grasse bagged more gold medals for hosts Canada on Wednesday (22) at the Pan American Games in Toronto’s York University stadium.